KI's Genius® Receives GREENGUARD Certification

Twenty-five of KI's seating collections received GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certification for low emitting products earlier this year. In September, KI was selected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its 2006 WasteWise Packaging Reduction Gold Achievement Award. The company was honored for a multi-faceted program that eliminated 215 tons of unnecessary packaging materials at its Wisconsin plants in 2005.

"We work hard internally and with our customers to develop environmentally-friendly solutions and programs and are proud that our efforts have been validated by these organizations," says Norman Nance, IIDA, LEED AP, vice president-marketing, KI. "GREENGUARD certification of Genius architectural walls is especially important as more specifiers recognize the benefits of movable walls."

Made with more than 70 percent recycled aluminum, KI's Genius walls are 99 percent reusable and 96 percent recyclable. Other advantages of Genius walls include few parts, aesthetic flexibility, lifelong durability, optimal acoustics and simple installation.

To achieve GREENGUARD Certification, Genius architectural walls passed a series of demanding tests required by GEI that determined the products have low chemical emissions. GEI will monitor Genius architectural walls each quarter to ensure they maintain low emitting status.

GREENGUARD Certification is a referenced standard for furniture and other interior product manufacturers to be specified in projects based on the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Rating System. LEED is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. GREENGUARD certified furniture earns points toward a project receiving certification under the LEED for Commercial Interiors program.

GEI's methodology for testing and certifying furniture was developed and validated in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Technology Verification Program. Realistic, worst-case configurations of a product's components and materials are developed and placed in environmental testing chambers.

GEI is an industry-independent, non-profit organization that oversees the GREENGUARD Certification Program. As an ANSI Accredited Standards Developer, GEI establishes acceptable indoor air standards for indoor products, environments, and buildings. GEI's mission is to improve public health and quality of life through programs that improve indoor air.

KI manufactures innovative furniture and wall system solutions for college & university, K-12, healthcare, government and corporate markets. The employee-owned company is headquartered in Green Bay, WI, and operates sales offices and manufacturing facilities in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. KI tailors products and service solutions to the specific needs of each customer through its unique "Market of One" customer service and manufacturing philosophy. For more information, visit www.ki.com.

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